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Codfish a La Layonnaise

While hiking through the dense coastal redwoods, I could not help but be taken in by the beauty of the forest floor, thick with lush green ferns. July is too late to be hunting for fiddleheads, yet I could not help but to look – you never know. Hubby watched me for a few minutes, an odd look on his face. I explained that I was looking for an edible part of the fern. I’ve never seen fiddleheads in the markets and have been curious about them.

I love the unusual look fiddleheads provide to this dish. In a pinch, asparagus would be a suitable substitute. Still, wouldn’t it be fun to forage for your own Fiddleheads?

Remove the dry, sheathlike papery particles from the fiddleheads. Fill a medium bowl with cool water; add 1 teaspoon salt and the lemon juice. Add fiddleheads, and push them down into the water several times to clean them. Allow fiddleheads to soak at least 1 hour. Transfer to paper towel to drain.

On a steamer rack set over an inch of water in a saucepan, steam fiddleheads, covered, until tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fiddleheads, and cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until golden. Season with salt, pepper, and pressed garlic. Continue to cook about 30 seconds longer, until aromatic. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.

Note: Fiddleheads are the tips of young ferns and can only be harvested in the spring, so once they are gone, they’re gone. The season for fiddleheads is incredibly short, so if you see them, grab them right away! They have a wonderful green vegetable flavor similar to asparagus or rapini, but they also have a certain, hard to explain, tanginess that is completely unique. Be careful when working with fiddleheads, because the raw plant contains toxins that can be bad for you.